Pasadena Criminal Defense Attorney – Ernenwein & Johnson, LLP

We know this is a difficult time for you and your family.

Being arrested for a crime in Pasadena, CA is a serious and traumatizing event, but it doesn’t mean that you are automatically guilty and should face harsh punishments. If you have been charged with a crime, you need the experience and guidance of an expert criminal defense attorney to guide you through the process and come up with an effective strategy to fight your charges.

Some important things to remember if you have been charged with a crime:

The police and investigators are not on your side.

The District Attorney’s Office is not on your side.

The court system is complex and seemingly incomprehensible.

Where do you turn? At this difficult time, you need an advocate that will sit with you, listen to you and protect you.

Robert Ernenwein and Stephanie Johnson have the skills and experience required to get your charges dismissed or reduced to a lesser offense:

They are former prosecutors in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, so they know how the other side operates.

They have been in private practice as a criminal defense attorney in Torrance, CA for over 40 years combined.

Robert Ernenwein is board certified in criminal law by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.

Robert Ernenwein and Stephanie Johnson are well known in their community.

They are both very proud of their reputation with Judges and Prosecutors in the Torrance and other South Bay courts. They know the local system very well and will use this familiarity to your advantage.

Choosing a defense attorney is an important decision. At the end of the day, your defense attorney is your advocate and will be your only true friend in the Los Angeles Superior Court system. Please consider calling our office or coming in and talking to us. When you come into our office, understand that it’s going to be a FREE CONSULTATION with NO OBLIGATION or pressure to hire our firm.

We will quietly and intently listen to what happened and give you as much time as you need. We will review the facts of your case, review the law as it applies to your case, and discuss strategies that we might employ to get to a successful result in your case.

And at the end of the day, if you hire our firm, we will join you arm in arm and walk together with you through the legal process to get to the best possible result for you and your family.

Robert Ernenwein is a husband and father to five children and is vested in this community. He is a compassionate advocate for his clients.

Robert Ernenwein and Stephanie Johnson have committed their entire professional life to becoming excellent criminal defense attorneys and effective advocate for their clients. But more than that, they are dedicated to doing their absolute best that they can for their clients each and every day.

They also have over 40 years of combined experience practicing criminal law in areas including but not limited to Hermosa Beach, Ranch Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Rolling Hills, Carson, Lomita, Riverside, Pasadena and Burbank. This experience has earned them a prestigious reputation in the legal community. Their dedication and devotion as advocates for their clients shows in the results they achieve for their clients in courthouses throughout the Los Angeles area.

The offices of Ernenwein & Johnson, LLP are located at 1405 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA.

Pasadena Criminal Defense Case Histories

Case History #1

Charge: Felony Molestation of a Child

Three years ago, I was retained by a man living in Pasadena with an interesting story. He explained that he was arrested by the Pasadena Police Department located at 207 Garfield Ave., Pasadena, California and charged with felony molestation of a child in 1997. The Pasadena Police Department alleged that while working at a friend’s house in Pasadena installing tile, he had touched the friend’s 14-year-old daughter on her stomach area. She alleged this happened on two occasions and that he was also seen parked by her school located in Pasadena.

Interestingly, there was no touching of private areas, just the stomach. Unable to post bail he sat in Los Angeles County jail for several months until his lawyer came to him with a “great deal”; plead guilty to a misdemeanor and be released from jail that very day. In addition, register as a sex offender but that obligation would end after three years.

With a family to support on the outside in Pasadena and with few options, he took the deal.

After 3 years he asked to be taken off the sexual registry list only to be told he would be required to register for life. Frustrated, but seemingly without options, he has registered every year since as a sex offender. But that wasn’t the end of his troubles. A permanent resident, he was recently thrown into deportation proceedings. With his back against the wall he came to see me.

Over the last 20 years, he has built a successful business in Pasadena and is a husband and father. He was looking for help. I was hesitant to take the case skeptical of my client’s story and afraid I could do nothing for him. But being careful not to over promise, I took the case. That was 2014.

Our first order of business was to obtain all the records from the Los Angeles Superior Court, Pasadena located at 300 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, California. After months of gathering documents and transcripts, we concluded that he was not properly advised of his obligation of lifetime registration. That was our avenue to get the case back to Los Angeles Superior Court, Pasadena. It was also the first box checked in the “I am being honest with my lawyer” box.

Over the next several months we prepared and ultimately filed a motion to file with the Pasadena Court Judge to vacate his conviction. The motion was granted by the Pasadena Court Judge and the plea was vacated in 2016. But that wasn’t the end. The Pasadena Deputy District Attorney indicated they would again pursue the case and a conviction. And so we began the task of investigating the case and making Court appearances at the Pasadena Courthouse to defend the case.

One of the things we discovered during our review and investigation was that the client had indeed been at the complaining witness’ school in Pasadena; to drop off his nephew! The fact that his nephew attended the same school in Pasadena as the complaining witness was ultimately confirmed by her.

But regardless of our investigation, the case would require a formal hearing with testimony to test the evidence at the Pasadena Courthouse. That hearing, called a preliminary hearing, occurred on May 3, 2017, in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Pasadena.

Case Resolution

After 90 minutes of testimony and argument by the lawyers, the Pasadena Judge dismissed the entire case.

Defending a criminal case and particularly a child molestation case is never popular nor easy. But consider this: not everyone charged or accused of a crime is guilty. Further, given the bail system in our criminal justice system, it is a fact that people plead guilty to offenses they have not committed in order to be released from jail. Defending a criminal case is a team effort. Thank you to my client for having faith in me and thank you to my staff without whom this result would not have been possible.

We Defend Clients Accused of Most Felonies and Misdemeanors:

Assault and Battery

Domestic violence

Public intoxication

Grand theft

Petty theft

Embezzlement

Burglary

Hit and run

Suspended license

DUI

Sexual assault

Statutory rape

Rape

Molestation

Child molestation

Lewd acts

Prostitution

Solicitation of Prostitution

Juvenile cases

Drug possession

Local Information about Pasadena, CA

Pasadena is the 9th largest city in Los Angeles County, California. Pasadena his home to the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the USC Pacific Asia Museum. The city also hosts the famous Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses parade each year.

The Pasadena Police Department has two main locations:

207 Garfield Avenue, Pasadena, California

1422 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California

These departments serve most of the city. The unincorporated areas of Pasadena are served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the demographics of Pasadena were as follows:

55.8% were White/Non-Hispanic

10.6% were Black or African American

33.7% were Hispanic or Latino

14.3% were Asian

.6% were Native American

.1% were Pacific Islander

Based on FBI crime reports, Pasadena has a crime rate that is higher than 74% of the California’s cities of varying sizes. The chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Pasadena in the year 2016 was 1 out of 33. According to “City-Data.com,” in 2015 there were the following crimes reported:

4 Murders

57 Rapes

131 Robberies

236 Assaults

830 Burglaries

2,540 Thefts

323 Auto Thefts

45 Arsons

In addition, according to recent research, there were 126 registered sex offenders living in Pasadena as of May 16, 2017.

Nearly all criminal arrests will be reported by the Pasadena Police Department to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in Pasadena located at 300 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, California.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court Pasadena Courthouse is also located at 300 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, California.

In Ernenwein & Johnson’s 40+ years of experience practicing criminal law, they have tried and won multiple criminal cases in the Pasadena Courthouse.